Missing Voyages
by pilotship
Summary: Receiving a distress call from a nearby planet, the paladins of Voltron make haste to be of assistance. However, once they realized this planet was used by the Galran empire, things started to get fishy - especially when Lance stumbles upon a statis-pod with what seems to be an Altean inside. [Voltron OC - rated M to be safe for future chapters]


_A/N - Please note: This fanfiction is purely based around a fan-character for Voltron. It's not meant to be taken literally, and I merely want to share his story and to write out the ideas in my head circling him. I hope you enjoy._

—

The distress signal blared across the intercoms of the castle in the early hours of the morning – or rather, the ship's internalized clock. It was Shiro that was up and ready as usual, having already been awake training when the alarm went off. Allura and Coran filed in shortly after. It took a few minutes for the other paladins to wake up and gather their bearings, but sure enough everyone was up and ready to face whatever new threat surfaced.

"Why did the alarm sound?" Shiro's calm voice broke the silence, eyes intently focused on Allura's facial expression as the princess read over the illuminated panel before her. "It seems there is a distress signal not too far from here." Her voice was filled with suspicion and a hint of curiosity. "I believe we should check this out. However, after the last incident.. I'm not too sure that would be wise."

Everyone shared their fair share of glances between each other. It was Keith that spoke up next. "Maybe we should check it out. What if it's someone who's actually in trouble?" Pidge and Shiro both seemed to agree with this, nodding their heads. "I don't see what harm it could do." The green paladin's voice chimed in softly, shrugging her shoulders.

"But what if it's another trick?" Hunk murmured, eyebrows furrowed as he remembered Lance being chained down on some strange planet. "Yeah, that really wasn't fun. I didn't hear the end of it for weeks!" Lance chimed in, tossing his hands out in a dramatic gesture. "I don't want to take any chances!"

If it weren't for Shiro's interjection, Keith would have argued that it was Lance's fault to begin with. "I still think that this may be serious. Suit up, paladins. We're going to see what this distress signal is about." Hunk and Lance made troubled faces, obviously not keen on the idea. However, the majority ruled and Shiro gave his orders, so the paladins headed for their lions and dispersed around the castle.

—

Allura's voice sounded through each of the paladin's helments. "Alright paladins! The distress signal has been located up ahead on a tropical planet. According to our information, this planet is called Butania, and it should be safe for you to venture on. It seems to have a stable temperature and organic life, along with bodies of water. There may be natives on this planet, so be cautious."

Lance scoffed into his headset, sticking his chin up confidently. "Cautious is my middle name, princess! We'll settle this in a jiffy, that way we can all go back to sleeping!" There were a few tired groans of agreement from the other paladins, but Keith's voice chopped clear through them all. "Cautious my ass. You're going to rush in head-first without thinking."

"Well excuse me, Keith! Wasn't I the one to stop you from rushing in back when we took down that Galra trading hub?" When there was no immediate response to that, the blue paladin found himself smirking. "Still, we should all stay alert. There's a chance this could be a trap." Leave it to Shiro to squash all arguments. "Let's go."

Upon arrival to the planet, the paladins all felt something was off. It looked entirely too peaceful, almost untouched by any sort of intelligent life. No spaceships were to be found, and luscious trees tangled underneath as the paladins continued their exploration. "Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary." Shiro murmured to himself, eyes peeled for any sort of trouble. "Yeah.. it's almost _too_ ordinary." Keith commented.

"Should we go down to the ground to take a closer look? It's hard to see anything through all these trees." Pidge said as she leaned forward in her seat, squinting her eyes at the ground below. "That's a good idea. Let's be cautious, though. Nobody wanders off on their own." The black paladin led the descent to the ground, gracefully landing his lion followed by the others. One by one the paladins emerged from their lions and took a good look around. The trees stood far taller than any on Earth, girthy and full of life. "It's beautiful." Pidge commented, looking around in awe.

"Yes, it is. But we're not here to sight-see, let's get to work." Shiro kept on guard despite his internalized wonder, looking over the paladins and placing a hand on his hip. "Let's split into teams of two. Keith, you come with me. Lance, you take Pidge and search south. Hunk, you stay here on the lookout. Let us know immediately if something's up." The yellow paladin stiffened at that, but nodded his head nonetheless. This was something Hunk knew he could do.

Once the plan was solidified, the teams split off to their own directions, scanning the planet for the source of the distress signal. Almost an hour passed with no results until Shiro spotted something that made him stop in his tracks. Hidden amongst a canopy of trees lay a Galran ship, parked next to a structure that he assumed was built by the Galran Empire. "Keith, do you see that?" The ravenette nodded his head, keeping low just as Shiro did. "Guys, we have company here. I don't think they know we're here, but there seems to be Galran forces here."

That caused Lance and Pidge to stop in their tracks, looking at each other with concerned expressions. "Should we assume it's a trap?" Lance murmured, surprisingly serious for the situation. They were currently lionless and their forces were split up. This would be a perfect moment for the Galran Empire to attack. "No, I think we're safe for now. You two continue your searching. Me and Keith will try to get to the bottom of this."

Keith raised an eyebrow at that, staring Shiro down with an all-knowing look. The black paladin merely shrugged his shoulders, trying not to smile and failing. "Let's say we give them hell, huh?" The roll of the eyes that he was met with made Shiro laugh. "You're absolutely crazy. Let's do it." Keith responded, and together the two advanced on the ship.

—

Lance and Pidge were struggling to make their way through the overgrown vines underfoot, getting tangled and often tripping. This caused a slur of colorful curses to escape Lance's lips as he scowled. "This is stupid! Are we even going to find anything out here? We're in the middle of nowhere!" A growl ripped free from his throat as he kicked at the vines underneath him.

He was surprised to find that instead of a vine snapping, his foot hit something solid with a loud clang. "Quiznak! That hurt-" His eyes shot down to whatever the hell he kicked, and his jaw dropped. Lance shot a look at Pidge, and when he was met with her equally confused expression, he tapped his helmet. "Uh.. guys? I think we may have found something."

"What do you mean?" Shiro's voice cut in almost immediately, however there was a bunch of feedback from his end. It sounded like there was an all-out war on his end. "Well, there's something right under us, covered by a bunch of vines. It looks like it's metal—wait, I think I see glass, too. What the hell _is_ this?" Lance leaned down to get a closer look, ripping away the vines from the structure. When it became clear as to what it was, both he and Pidge gasped.

"What's wrong? Guys?" Shiro's voice sounded once again, panic filled with his voice. "It's.." Lance stuttered, never taking his eyes off the structure. "Uh.. Allura? You might want to see this." At the mentioning of her name, the princess chimed in almost immediately. "What do you mean, Lance? What is it?"

There was a moment of hesitation from the blue paladin as he looked to Pidge for conformation. When she nodded, equally as shocked as he was, he continued. "I think we just found another Altean." A sudden clatter was heard from Allura's end of the channel as she pressed some buttons on the ships paneling, pulling up a thermal image of what was around Lance. "Are you absolutely sure? Whatever you're standing on has an obvious heat signature, so it's alive."

"Well, it has ears like you do—and strange face markings." Pidge responded, watching as Lance dusted off years of dirt from the glass. Once the dirt was cleared away, it was easy to see what lay inside. Underneath them appeared to be a figure with long, ginger hair. There were twin triangular markings stretched across each cheek, and their skin was faintly tanned. The expression on this being's face was calm but they were in bad shape.

The clothes they wore resembled something akin to a Galran prisoners. However, the clothes seemed extremely tattered, exposing some unhealed wounds underneath. "This thing doesn't look too good, Allura. It might need the healing pod." Lance's eyebrows were furrowed as he started down this being. Was it male, or was it female? With hair as long as theirs, it was hard to tell. "Should we take him out?"

Silence sounded on the communications channel as Allura thought it over. If it was an Altean, then that meant there were survivors of her race. This was a chance she could not pass up. "Yes, bring them back to the ship immediately. I want to see them for myself. Shiro, please finish up what you have started and join us."

Sticking around was never good, especially when the Galran Empire was involved. Allura wanted to head out before reinforcements came. "Yes princess." Shiro responded immediately, motioning for Keith to follow him as he made haste back to the lions. They had made a significant dent in the Galran forces at that base, which they later uncovered was a storage hub for the Empire.

Meanwhile, Lance and Pidge dug out the stasis-pod that the Altean resided in, tilting it upright for easier access. Pidge did some tinkering with the wiring on the pod, and soon enough the glass capsule top slid open, the Altean slumping forward almost immediately when not supported. Lance was there to catch the limp body, making sure to cradle them carefully. When he took a closer look, it was obvious this Altean was male, albeit very feminine looking.

It didn't take long for Lance and Pidge to hurry out of there, Lance carrying the Altean bridal style and rushing with Pidge. It was almost like the vines underneath were forgotten and a distant memory, and soon the lions were in sight. However, the peace didn't last for long as the male in Lance's arms shifted, coming back into consciousness.

It stopped Lance right in his tracks when those eyes opened to reveal a color as captivating as rubies, as red as an apple. They were confused, and for a split second, innocent. But that fantasy was short-lived, the male almost immediately fighting against the blue paladin and punching weakly against his chest. A jumbled mess of Altean dialect was hurled at Lance and luckily his translators were able to pick it up with ease.

"Who the hell are you, and what the hell do you think you're doing? Get the fuck off me-!" It wasn't a request, it was a demand. And judging by his fierce snarl, he meant business, even in his weakened state. Lance tried his best to soothe him and keep a tight hold on the wriggling male, but it was proving to be a difficult task. "Dude, calm down! Aren't Alteans supposed to be peaceful?" Lance's complaint was heard of deaf ears as the ginger Altean continued with his freak-out. "Why are you wearing the blue paladin suit? You _aren't_ the blue paladin of Voltron! What did you do with her?"

Okay, that was a first. Lance gawked at the feisty male, unsure of how to respond, before he stuttered. "Wha.. What do you mean? I pilot the blue lion. I don't know who you're talking about. Maybe you need your head checked—" His rambling was interrupted by the Altean slapping him across the cheek _hard_.

There was a howl of laughter from behind them, which came from Keith. He couldn't contain it. Never before had someone dared to slap the shit out of Lance, and _oh boy_ was it needed. Shiro nudged him in the side with a stern expression, before glancing over at the two. He noticed that the Altean was staring them down with a look of sheer and utter shock. Shiro felt uncomfortable under that scrutinous gaze, and he almost spoke if not for the soft voice that escaped the male's lips. "What the hell happened? That's.. that's my suit." His gaze was locked on Keith now, and everyone that heard those words froze in shock. Even Keith stifled his laughter to stare at the Altean.

"What do you mean?" Shiro was the one to break the shocked silence, his voice gentle and calm as though he were speaking to a cornered animal. "What the fuck did you think I meant? That's my suit! I'm the red paladin of Voltron—What the hell is going on! Who are you fakes?"


End file.
